Dodd into High-Level Chairmanship
BANKING
The New Britain Herald
Tia Albright
Boston University Washington News Service
November 14, 2006
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 – The incoming Democratic chairman of the Senate Banking, House and Urban Affairs Committee vowed Tuesday to work across party lines to make effective decisions.
Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-CT, who will chair the Banking Committee next year, had breakfast with the outgoing chairman, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-AL, and discussed the committee’s future.
“We will be working together and we will cooperate when we can and we’ll never let [party lines] separate us,” Dodd said.
Shelby said that he looks forward to working with Dodd to help move the committee’s agenda.
After taking over as chairman, Dodd said, he hopes to use the knowledge he’s gained as a five-term senator to make significant strides in the committee.
“I’d like to clean up where we can clean up,” Dodd said. “I’m prepared to get some things done, and I think the most important issues are security, prosperity and opportunity.”
He also mentioned the he is looking into working on issues related to hedge funds and flood insurance.
After 26 years as a member of the committee, Dodd will become chairman because Paul Sarbanes, the current senior Democrat, is retiring in January.
“I don’t know if anyone has served this long and not been chairman,” Dodd quipped.
He said he is working on building a staff and looks forward to traveling around the country in support of banking issues.
Dodd is also a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and is the senior Democrat on the Rules and Administration Committee, though he is passing up that panel’s gavel in favor of the Banking Committee chairmanship.
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